Stargate Atlantis: Ascension
by Jupiterrising2010
Summary: Rodney is struck with an Ancient database Jump-out-of-the-wall-and-feed-knowledge-into-your-brain thing. Will he survive?
1. Chapter 1

"I approximate the destination to be 5 kilometres away." The Jumper's AI said in that cool, annoying voice. The AI had been developed after Rodney's ascending-beam incident. It was one of the many things he had thought of. Recently, the department had found a way to put it into a Jumper and now they had created this hell-load of nuisance.

"Do I need to put a muzzle on you?" John asked the holographic body of the AI, Wellington.

"I am a computer. A muzzle cannot be put on me or my holographic avatar."

"Here it goes: All the 'logical words and conclusions'. Can't you just mute yourself?"

"I can. However, I cannot see any reason to mute myself."

"I can: You're annoying. Rodney, can we shut him off altogether?"

"Yes, but that would break the Jumper to the point of FUBAR and since the 'gate is in orbit around the planet, we wouldn't really want to do that." Rodney said.

"I am detecting..." Wellington started.

"Wait, and let the Jumper do it for us."

"I have gone through the sub-database and I have discovered that the ship wasn't called a Jumper originally. It was called a Hontaporalarkus."

"The Ancients were terrible at naming things." Ronon observed. "And I think taking him out would be worth the risk of never being able to go home again."

"Could you not?" Rodney said.

"_Anyway_, the Jumper..."

"Hontaporalarkus."

"SHUT UP!" SGA-1 chorused together.

"The Jumper has given us what _Wellington _here detected earlier." The holographic screen was indeed showing them a sort of... Temple?"

"What is that?" Teyla asked.

"Well, judging by it's architecture: Not built by the Ancients. Most possibly a temple to the 'ancestors' that was built by the previous inhabitants of this valley." Rodney said.

"OK. Let's go check it out. Wellington will have to come so he doesn't keep screaming in my ear." John said.

Rodney took the HAC-bot for Wellington and John landed the Jumper in a clearing next to the temple. The rear hatch opened and HAC-bot-1 deployed itself to move out of the Jumper and with SGA-1.

_Temple_

Rodney studied the writing on the walls and pillars. Ronon kept watch. Teyla and John were patrolling the area to see if there were any more of these temples. And, of course, Wellington was with Rodney.

"Middle English." Rodney muttered.

"What?" Ronon asked.

"Nothing, just thinking out loud."

"What's 'middle English'?"

"It's an old dialect in our language. Comes from several hundred years ago. Some still use it but it's a dead language." he explained

"Right... You people are strange."

"In many ways, yes." Rodney agreed.

"What does the writing say?"

"From my experience and knowledge of middle English and the hard-working understanding of this _terrible_ handwriting, I'd say it means: 'The middle stone holds the key. Only those with the gift may unlock it's power. Then when it is awoken, a light shall shineth forth and engulf those who deserve paradise. They will eventually die, be honoured and rise to Ascension'."  
>"That's it?"<p>

"Well, it's the most important part. Other parts are just strange words which mean nothing and even if they did, I wouldn't bother to read them."

"So... What does the explanation of what this is mean?"

"Well I don't know, but..." Rodney walked next to a clear stone on the temple. Something sprung out, it looked like a hand, and grabbed Rodney's head. It shone out rays of light then retracted into a green device on the wall. Rodney collapsed when he was released.

"Rodney!" Ronon caught him before he settled on the floor. Ronon touched his earwig.

"Ronon to Sheppard."

"_Sheppard to Ronon. What happened?"_

"Something just sprung out of the wall and engulfed Rodney's head. We need to get back to Atlantis."

"_Acknowledged. Sheppard out."_

_On Atlantis_

Rodney woke up wearily. He saw 5 figures sitting on the beds opposite him. As his eyesight grew clearer he could see that it was Teyla, John, Ronon, Elizabeth and Jennifer talking.

"His neural activity is bulging to a point that I wasn't even aware could be achieved." Jennifer said.

"And that means?" Ronon, asked, sounding worried... Which was surprising.

"I don't know. But it's worrying."

"What's worrying?" Rodney asked, tired as hell.

"Rodney. You're awake." Jennifer said.

"Yeah. Appears so. What happened?"

"Something sprung out of the wall and grabbed your head. You became unconscious after it released you." Ronon said.

"What exactly was that?" John asked.

"I don't know. Anyway. How are you feeling, Rodney?"

"Oh, just sha'an."

There was a pause in speech and, joke quote, time.

"Sha'an? That's Ancient for 'fine'." Elizabeth explained.

"He's speaking Ancient?" John asked.

"That must be due to the neural activity." Jennifer said.

**Uh oh. Something is wrong. If you've watched the all of SG-1 to at least the end of season 7 then you'll know what's happened. I'll leave you to work it out :).**


	2. Chapter 2

_Two days later_

"Doctor!" John ran down the hallway to catch up with Jennifer. She spun round on her heels to meet him.

"Yes?" She answered his call.

"I read one of the SG-1 reports to see if they've encountered anything like this before." John said, looking very worried.

"And?" Jennifer asked, Intrigued.

"They have."

"What happened?"

"Well, Colonel O'Neill (it happened when he was still colonel) got struck by one of these green grab-your-head things and he kept turning Ancient until he couldn't understand English and could only speak Ancient. He was going to die after a while but then he programmed an address into the SGC and built a one-way power device to power the 'gate to get there (it was in another galaxy). It was really the Asgard Homeworld. The Asgard wiped the knowledge from his brain to save him."

"And..." Jennifer understood what he meant "Rodney is going to die?"

"Yes. Judging by the Ancient speech it looks like he's in the second stage: Speaking nothing but Ancient."

"But..." Jennifer was stricken down as if he had just hit her. The man she loved was going to die. This was like the second childhood incident. "The Asgard are dead."

"Yes. Cloning issues in the Milky Way galaxy."

"I... Was there anything in the technology base that can help him?"

"Nothing. And even if there was, it would have been wiped away along with all the other technology in the Asgard core."

"So... Rodney will definitely die?"

"Yes." John

Jennifer felt a lump form in her throat.

_A day later_

"I have an idea." John came into the infirmary.

"What idea?" Jennifer had been up all night and all day. She had bags under her eyes and coffee mugs all over her desk. She looked extremely tired.

"I read another SG-1 report. O'Neill was able to make a mind connection with Dr. Jackson when he was about to die of radiation poisoning."

"You're suggesting doing that?"

"We both have the Ancient gene. There's no doubt that I'll be able to amplify the connection."

"Does Elizabeth and the others know about your idea."

"As a matter-of-fact, we do. It's not risky. It should (will) work."

"I have been sitting at this desk, constantly drinking coffee, trying to save a person who barely recognises me because of Ancient DNA taking over his brain right through 36 hours in a cramped infirmary. His brain is delicate and you're suggesting tunnelling into it like a god damned coal-mine?" She snapped.

"Yes." John simply said, with a humourless smile on.

"I can't let that happen!"

"Look, Jennifer. This has been done before and it worked. We need to find out what's happening in the Rodney part of him. Remember when he was suffering from Second Childhood? We were all so angry at you when you didn't let him go to that planet."

"I can't let his mind die sooner. He deserves a better chance to survive than us mentally tunnelling into his mind."

"We can't wipe the knowledge out from in there! We might as well say goodbye in his brain. Jennifer, we just need you to set the procedure up."

Jennifer looked over at Rodney's unconscious body.

"OK. Let's do it."

_Rodney's mind_

Rodney felt light and heavy. He looked around. He was in the Atlantis 'gate room. Every door was opened up into black space. He noticed that the 'gate was on, but instead of the familiar blue energy settling in the middle of the ring, it was white and didn't have the same fluctuations as the 'gate did.

"You realise what is happening?" a female voice behind him said. He looked round.

"Jennifer?"

"I am not the one you call 'Jennifer'. My name is Hippaforalkus."

"The Ancient general."

"Indeed. I take the form of Jennifer so as not to blind you with my true form."

"It's my mind. I doubt I can be blinded within my mind."

"True. Then I take this form for comfort."

"Are you female, Hippaforalkus?"

"Males and females, in our time, had equal rights and in the depths of ascension, we still do."

"Yeah. In our time, males and females have equal rights, too."

"Of course. But you have not answered my original question: Do you realise what is happening?"

"No."

"You have the rights to ascend. As Daniel Jackson did, and many others before you."

"You remember Daniel Jackson?"

"Yes. He was banished and retook Human form for breaking the laws of ascension; interfering. You are only to be able to appear before people and watch. Do nothing else."

"So... I can ascend?"


	3. Chapter 3

John felt a mental nail dig into his head, then it vanished. His surroundings became clear. He was in the 'gate room. The Stargate was operational but it's wormhole was white, not blue. He noticed that Rodney was staring into the wormhole. All the doors and windows opened up into black space.

"Rodney." John said, alerting Rodney to his presence, though he did not turn around to greet him.

"Hi, John." he replied. "Guess I was expecting something like this to happen."

"You OK?"

"Yeah. I've only been given the chance of ascension."

"What?" John said.

"Looks like I did a couple of good things in life. 'Couple of bad but mostly good,"

"Yeah. A lot of the things you did were good."

"But I don't know if I should go through or hang on to dear life."

"You know we'll miss you."

"No, I'm going to hang on to dear life." Rodney stepped away and John grabbed his arm.

"I know you want to go through that gate and and ascend. And I'm happy for you to do so. But if you come back then you'll die with an end of story. Your brain's dying, Rodney." a distortion in visibility occurred as if to agree with John and prove it.

"You want me to go through?" Rodney replied, looking back at the white event-horizon.

"I don't want you to. However, there's no other way for you to go down. At least in ascension you'll live in some other way."

Rodney paused for a moment to consider. If he hung on to dear life then he wouldn't be able to get out of this coma and even if he did then he wouldn't live long either way.

"OK. I'm going in."

_Atlantis_

The readings started beeping radically. Jennifer snapped a look at his vitals.

"His organs are failing!" Jennifer retrieved an adrenaline pack and ripped it open. She soon stabbed it into Rodney's chest and the beeping calmed. The tension around the crowd evaporated. "That's not going to work again." She warned them. Rodney had to hang on a little longer.

_The mind_

John felt a feeling – as if someone had walked on his grave.

"You feel that?" He asked, pointing in no particular direction. Rodney was looking around clutching his chest.

"Yeah. Like someone walked over my grave." Rodney's face cleared and he realised what was happening. "I'm dying." Rodney began to walk towards the event-horizon... then turned round and shook John's hand. Rodney grabbed John's arm and it quickly turned into a bear-hug. They pulled away and Rodney reluctantly walked towards the event-horizon.

"I've got a question." John said. Rodney turned around. His eyes were twinkling white and he had a smile he had never seen Rodney put on. It held all the good parts of Rodney: Generosity, kindness, happiness etc... "Where are you going?"

"Another plane of existence."

There was a pause before John spoke again. "Don't forget to write." They exchanged a small chuckle.

"I'll do my best." Rodney turned round and without looking back he said. "Goodbye, John. Say bye to Carson, and Ronon, and Elizabeth, and Teyla, and Radek and of course: Jennifer." he paused "Tell her I love her." And he stepped through without any further word. As soon as he left, there was some kind of quarantine setting; the doors closed, the gate deactivated and the windows sealed.

_Atlantis_

The beeping went radical again. John opened his eyes and saw Jennifer trying to drag the doctors over to help him.

"Jennifer," he walked over to her. "it's what he wants. He's going to ascend." they went back over to the bed. The beeping went on for one more second. Then it went flat. There was a 3 second moment of silence. Then John noticed that Jennifer had a tear on her cheek. It soon spread to Elizabeth, Ronon, Teyla, Carson, Radek and John. Jennifer's tears soon went crazy and were bucketing down her cheeks. John put his hands on her to comfort her.

Rodney was dead.

**:'(. Rodney is dead? Oh well. This is a series. You'll have to wait until then. Also, merry Christmas, As I wrote this chapter at 3:40, Christmas day.**


End file.
